One man was killed and a police officer was injured in clashes in the Lozells area of Birmingham last night. The riot, between Asian and black youths, broke out after a public meeting was held about an alleged sex attack on a teenage girl.

Tensions have been high in the area since the alleged attack took place several days ago. It is claimed the girl - an illegal immigrant - had been kidnapped and raped by three men.

At one point, a group of more than 100 hooded youths ran through the streets, attacking cars and motorists with baseball bats. Several cars were overturned and at least one was set alight. The mob was chased by police carrying riot shields.

One bystander said: 'I'm caught between two rolling police roadblocks and can see hundreds of police dressed in riot gear advancing towards the crowds to push them back.' An ambulance was reportedly attacked by youths wielding sticks.

India Murray, landlady of the Union Inn on Gerrard Street, said all the windows of her pub had been smashed. 'The police are at the top of the road in their riot wagons and helicopters are everywhere,' she said. Mrs Murray added that tensions had been mounting in the area with outbreaks of sporadic violence. 'It has been building up for the past few days,' she said.

A police spokeswoman confirmed one officer had been injured and that there had been a fatality, though the cause of the death was not known. However, one man, who declined to be named, said the person who died had been stabbed outside a Caribbean food shop. A lot of other people had been hurt, he added.

The Lozells area has a strong African-Caribbean presence, the biggest contingent of which comes from Jamaica. Asian gangs have also sprung up in the area and there has been simmering tension between the two racial groups. Often trouble has related to drugs - mainly heroin - and gun crime.

Asian gangs used to operate in partnership with black gangs. But the two sides have now evolved into opposing crime syndicates, and even the black gangs are divided and violent towards each other.